NHL trade deadline tracker

4:31: Columbus GM Scott Howson said Rick Nash "asked us to consider a trade...we agreed, as long as we could get cornerstone players back. It did not happen today."  My guess: Nash livid, it will happen in June, and Howson will be gone by then." Rangers proposal was believed to be, as reported today in Newsday, Dubinsky, Erixon, JT Miller/Christian Thomas and a pick: NOT MCDonagh, Del Zotto, Stepan, etc...

3:46  Vancouver swaps Cody Hodgson (16 goals) to Buffalo for forward Zach Kassian, who adds size upfront. Canucks are one of the teams what improved. Flyers, who made two trades for d-men before today, did not add anyone. Neither did the Penguins, by the way. 

3:30 Rangers are done on a quiet day around the league. They acquired D John Scott, a big, tough guy from the Chicago Blackhawks for a fifth round pick. Scott, 29, is 6-8, 270 and is averaging 6:56 of ice time. Against the Rangers last week, Scott--who is no offensive force with one goal in four seasons---played left wing, and was whistled for boarding and roughing penalties against Mike Rupp. He's a UFA after the season.

3:10 - The Islanders did make one move today, just a few minutes before the deadline -- they sent LW Brian Rolston and D Mike Mottau to the Bruins for minor-league RW Yannick Riendeau and D Marc Cantin.

Rolston had been placed on waivers on Saturday, signalling the end of his stay with the Isles -- he had four goals and five assists in 49 games and looked every bit of his 39 years after coming over from the Devils last summer.

Mottau, who turns 34 next month, had two assists in 29 games for the Isles. He was in and out of the lineup before a concussion kept him out since just after Christmas.

Neither figured in the Isles' post-deadline plans; the Isles will go with Dylan Reese as their seventh defenseman the rest of the way.

Milan Jurcina and Mark Eaton had some interest, but Garth Snow decided to pass on the mid-round draft pick offers for both. He also didn't get a first-round pick offered for PA Parenteau, but the Isles do want to bring Parenteau back, so he was unlikely to move regardless.

That's all for the Isles' deadline day.

3:01 - Looks as if Rick Nash is staying in Columbus.

3 p.m. - Sabres' Paul Gaustad to Nashville, which also added Andrei Kostitsyn earlier to help its offense. They're prepping for a run in the West.

2:13 TSN reporting that there may be some late movement on Rick Nash to Rangers.

2:09 -  Long Island's Matt Gilroy on move from Tampa to Ottawa.

2:08 - TSN reports Winnipeg's Johnny Oduya (former Devil) to Blackhawks.

2:06 - CBJ's Samuel Pahlsson to Canucks. Solid, checking forward will help Vancouver. I give this one three stars. Jackets get two third-round picks.

1:58 - Reports filtering through on a couple of smaller deals, with the Leafs sending D Keith Aulie to Tampa for minor-league F Carter Ashton and the Lightning sending former Ranger Matt Gilroy to the Senators for D Brian Lee.

Tampa has been active today with several small moves to reshape their defensive depth. Lee is an RFA this summer; Gilroy will be a UFA and goes to a team in the thick of the playoff chase.

1:39 - It appears the offers for PA Parenteau aren't to Garth Snow's liking. Even with 80 minutes until the deadline, it appears Parenteau is staying put and work will begin on a new contract for the team's second-leading scorer.

12:59 -Garth Snow is still trying to move Brian Rolston, despite the veteran clearing waivers. Also getting a couple calls on C Marty Reasoner and G Al Montoya. Reasoner has a year left on his deal and Montoya doesn't appear to be in the team's plans for next season. He could help a team in need of goaltending depth help.

Islanders GM Garth Snow is fielding calls on PA Parenteau, Milan Jurcina and Mark Eaton. The feeling is that he'd have to be blown away by an offer for Parenteau, whom the Isles want to keep beyond this season, but that Jurcina and/or Eaton will likely be moved for draft picks by 3 p.m.

12:57: Another trade -- this one an honest-to-goodness, player-for-player deal, with the Oilers sending D Tom Gilbert to the Wild for D Nick Schultz. Schultz is more of a stay-at-home type, Gilbert more of a puck-mover, and both have decent sized cap hits and years left on their deals.

12:43: A minor deal, reported by SportsNet's Nick Kypreos, with the Wings sending veteran D Mike Commodore to the Lightning.

And here's our first trade! The Canadiens send F Andrei Kostitsyn to the Predators for a 2013 2nd-rounder and a conditional pick. Kostitsyn has 12 goals and 12 assists this season for the Habs and is reunited with younger brother Sergei, whom Montreal dumped two seasons ago.

Nashville wants some more scoring punch to add to their fabulous defense and goaltending. The Canadiens start the day off with a rental sale; it may not be their only one today.

12:35:  At his locker after practice, Brandon Dubinsky says: "I'm pretty confident that at 3:01 I will be a New York Ranger." Says he will be playing rest of season with "chip on his shoulder."